Combination cooker



April 1936. J. P. FREEMON COMBINATION COOKER Filed Sept. 4, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNE 1 April 1936- J. P. FREEMON COMBINATION COOKER Filed Sept. 4, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTOR, JF/WLZWfl/Q BY W ATTORNE \J U U.

April 7, 1936.

J. P. FREEMON 2,036,523

COMBINATION COOKER Filed Sept. 4, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 7, 1936. J. P. FREEMON COMBINATI ON COOKER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 4, 1934 32 INVENTOR, JP/FE' Q Z' 3% W ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 7, 1936 wisp s'ra'rss parent 'orrice 19 Claims,

This invention relates to automatic, electric cookers and one oi the general objects of the invention is to provide a very compact structure incorporating a multiplicity of features forming together a highly practical combination cooker.

Another particular object of the invention is to provide an electric heating element characterized icy features of construction whose purpose is to greatly increase the service life or" the resistance filament of the element. And, in this connection, it is an object to provide for the facile renewal of the filament when it is ultimately burnt out or lorohen.

A purpose of the invention is to provide a single apparatus in which there is arranged. a pinrality oi heater elements that may at one and the same time be used for theconcurrent cooking of two or more servings of food oi like or oi difierent kinds with a resultant economy oi electric current consumption.

A distinctive object of the invention is to provide for the relative movement of the heating element and a food holder in such a manner that the food is removed laterally from the vertical confines of the sides of the heater so as not to he further effected by heat ascending from the hot clement. Further, an object is to provide a cooker in which there is a series oi independent heater I elements disposed horizontally and spaced verticells; so that a cooker pan, basket or wade-iron contiguous elements may be interposed between of a vertical pair: that is a vertically spaced pair.

An additional object is to provide a cooker oi class which is designed to he readily kept in a clean and sanitary condition, and in which the switch, the wiring connections and the automatic action mechanism are protected both from the soiling effects incident to cooking operations and irom accidents.

The invention consists of certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose construction, combination and details of means, and the manner of operation will be made manifest in the description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may he resorted to within the scope, principle and spirit of the invention as it is more directly claimed hereinafter,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cooker with an oven applied to its top and having its extensible combined wafile-iron and hot plate in laterally extended position. Figure 2 is adetail edge and (E311, fit-=5) sectional view oi the supplemental bottom part of the extension wailie-iron. Figure 3 is a plan of the hinge device connecting the extension iron and the top plate of the cooking stove. Figure 4 is a perspective of a cooking or drip pan. Figure 5 is a perspective of a toasting basket, and Figure 6 is a detail section thereof,

Figure 7 is a perspective of the cooker showing the extension "cradle-iron as partly lowered to the top plate of the stove and showing a front door oi the stove as opened and carrying a waffle-iron whose top is raised; a lower door of the stove be ing shown closed.

Figure 8 is a transverse section of a. closed fie-iron placed on hraclrets therefor on a. stove door.

Figure 9 isa bottom plan of the stove and er; applied wattle-iron, and Figure 10 is a vertical. longitudinal section of the stove; its doors lacing open.

' Figure ll is a perspective of the insulation hloclr. of the the wiring system.

Figure 12 is a perspective of the heating ele ment assembly and its supporting rack (detached from the stove).

Figure 13 is a cross-section of a heating elemerit of the present invention.

Figure 14- is a diagram oi the heating elements as connected to a standard 3 heat heater switch.

The stove has substantial, hollow lease flange 2 of rectangular term provided with a dished top- 3 on whose rim margin t there stands a side wall panel 5 connected at its rear end to a back wall panel 6; thus forming an L-shaped walla A top, hot plate l is securely fastened Toy holts to the base and serves to hold the wall in place. At the vertical end of the hack is disposed a vertical shaft 9 with an upper hearing in the top plate :7 and a hottom hearing it on the base rim d.

Fixed on the upper part of the shaft 9 is a hub [12 disposed at an inner corner of a U=shaped bracketdraine it; one of which is shown in plan in Fig. 9, on an open door (later described). The bracket includes a pair of parallel side rails Id of angle section and presenting ledge flanges ill-l6, 8, to receive and support various, in serted cooking utensils as afforded by this invention. To the outer side and the back of the bracket it there is secured an upper door which includes a front panel and an end panel forming an L-shaped door loody ll complementary to the size and form of the stove wall-H and forming therewith a rectangular stove chamber.

The shaft 3 extends through the base rim and has fixed on its end a straight arm id to which is connected a. spring I! exerting a pull tending to swing the door. I! to an open position.

Also passing through the lower bearing II is a hollow shaft 20 mounted on the shaft 9 and having fixed on its lower end a straight arm 2|, below the base top 3. Secured to the upper part of the hollow shaft 20 is a hub l2 of a bracket frame [3' similar to the frame. l3 just above and. having attached to it a door 11' similar to door I! and operating just below it; the two doors cooperating to fully close the front and right hand side. of the stove. A spring l5 attached to the arm 2| tends to open the door i1.

Means are provided to control and time the automatic opening action of the stove doors and, as here shown, include well known electric time switches, one for each door. Each switch includes a clock work W which is wound by pressing inward a stem 22 attached to a lever 23 whose Winding stroke causes a. tappet arm 26 to be thrown to a cooked position 0, Fig. 9, and when pulled outward the lever 23 acts to release the wound clock work so that according to the lapsed time desired the tappet will be released and the opening of the relative door effected. The released tappet strikes theadjacent arm of a spring actuated latch whose heel 25' engages the nearby end of the relative door arm (l8-2l) when its door is closed. A released tappet and its latch is indicated at r. Fig. 9. At the front of the base 2 a set of knobs 2E-2'| are provided for the respective stems 22 of the several clock works.

Means are provided to effect the manual release of the doors at will from control of the clock control. The manual release means as here shown includes a pair of shafts 29 having cranks 30 arranged to engage the latch arms 25, when hand levers 3! on the outer ends of the shafts are manipulated to effect the release at will.

Projecting through the left hand side flange of the base 2 is a multiple-heat control switch S from which extend service wires 32 which attach to the lower ends of a set of binding posts 33 mounted in an insulator 34 secured in an aperture therefor in the riin of the base bed or top 3.

Circuit wires 35 lead from the upper ends of the binding posts 33 to a system of electric-resistance heating units 36 which are of like structure as described below.

Each unit, or heater element, includes a rectangular frame 31 within the side bars of which aredisposed longitudinal shafts 38 hung in the ends of the frame and each carrying one or more tubular insulators 38 preferably having peripheral grooves 40 evenly spaced along the tubes; these being free to turn on their shafts. One or the other of the shafts 3B is permitted to float back and forth in the ends of the frame as in.

grooves ll, Fig. 12. Extending rearward from the floating shaft is a set of screw rods 42 having nuts 43. on their outer ends whereby the re-. action of interposed expansion springs (or equivalent means) 44 may be regulated to pull back the shaft 38 near the rear of the frame. On each end of the tensioned shaft 38 there is loosely hung a. forwardly extending insulator block 45 and a suitable type of resistance filament or wire 46 is rove from one insulator 45 to the opposite tube 39 at the front of the frame 31 and thence back and forth over the grooved parts of the tubes at each side of the frame and finally attached to the remote block 45 at the far end of the frame.

The terminals of the filament are secured by screws 41 to which respective circuit wires 33 are attached. The purpose of this specific type of heating element is to greatly increase the useful life of the somewhat fine filament of the unit by reducing the tendency of the oxidized filament to crystallize because of repeated buckling due to expansion and contraction resultant from heating and cooling; the buckling occurring near the terminals in the forms of heater elements now in general use. By use of the floating insulator as here disclosed the wire can stretch and contract freely but will at all times be kept taut and buckling will be precluded.

A feature of the heating system is the assembly of a plurality of the heating elements or units 36 in vertically spaced order and horizontal position so that a cooking utensil may be placed on the door brackets and then swung into cooking position where the goods to be cooked will be exposed to superjacent and subjacent heat radiation from a pair of vertically spaced elements. The vertical series of elements 36 is rigidly attached at the left hand end to a pair of vertical posts 50 and to a back post 5i and these posts are removably screwed to the adjacent left hand side and the back of the fixed wall 5-6. Thus the heater element group can be readily mounted and dismounted as a unit, when necessary.

Referring again to the door brackets l3-i3 these are open at their front ends and each has a dropped front tie bar 13" firmly connecting the front ends. The angle-sides of the brackets have overhanging top fiange lips 13 which serve as guards to prevent upward movement of inserted utensils.

In Fig. 4 is shown a shallow, wide flanged pan 52 which may he slipped onto one of the brack-j ets of the doors and by this swung into cooking position between upper and lower heating elements.

Fig. 5 illustrates a toast bread basket 53 with side wire bars 54 forming ledges to rest on the plementary rim SI of an upper section 62 of the waiile iron; the sections 51-82 being hinged together at their rear ends, at 63. The upper section of the waiile iron is of such width that it may be swung upward between the guard lips l3" of a bracket when the door is in open position as shown in Fig. '7. The section 62 of the iron has a handle Bl at its front end by which it may be swung up to uncover the lower iron, and a slot 65 is provided in each door I1-l1' to receive the handle as the wailie iron is pushed fully onto its bracket and allow the full closing of the door at the front of the cooker.

Various cooking operations may be performed on the top, hot plate I, and when desired an oven box 66 may be utilized on the plate.

The cooking capacity of the stove is greatly increased by means of a heater element encased in a supplementary hot plate 61 which has a the top plate I and allows the plate I to be .arm 2l--lil. The released door swings the main feeder l6 and moved to close the sire folded over the plate '6 when desired. One side of the plate 6i is formed with a waffle-iron section F2 to match with. a complementary iron sec-= tion it when the latter is placed on the stove plate I, and in such use the plate til is turned on its axis of tron 68 so as to present the waffle-iron section down toward the section on the stove. The hinge block device has pins it vertically slidahle in the bracket ll compensating for change of level of the waffle iron B2.

In operation, it food holding utensils are placed on the carrying doors and loaded with food to be cooked then the winding stem knobs it-2t, or either of them, of the respective doors ll-ll" are pressed inward to wind the clocks and to allow the spring actuated latch levers to come into position to interlock with the respective door arms lit-Alt. Then as the doors are closed the arms are caught by their latches and held against the opening efiort of their springs El i-l Q. When it is desh ed to commence cooking of the food on the closed carriers the knobs, or knob, are pulled out to release the clocks for op eration and at the end of the run the tappets will (independently) snap over and stnlle the relative door latch and release its engaged door to position where the cooked food is carried from the ascending heat from the heater elements in the stove: thus over-cooking is avoid l.

@ne push or the clock stem winds the clock. a minimum cooking period, as thirty seconds, and the periods may he increased in multiples ls unit by merely repeating the stern pushes correspondingly to energize the clock. for the creased run.

To materially economize in current consumetion. a circuit closer lolade is connecte by either of the door arms 2l-ll3, or o-t er st u able part, when the doors, or either of t n, closed; the circuit automatically breaking at lolacle contact when bothdoors are open.

The heating iilament of a heating element practically exposed throughout its length for i'ective radiation of infra-red rays directly to the food being cooked with heating a ciency and a material saving in current consume tion over types of heaters where the filaments are considerably encased in a bed of insulation.

What is claimed is:

1. a cooker having an electric heating element and a casing therefor having an open front and an open side and a cooking utensil holder connected by a vertical hinge at the rear wall of the casing for relative separation so that cooked food on the holder is held in a position clear of the heat column rising from the hot element, and means to efiect the separating action; the hold= 7 er forming a closure for the open sides of the casing.

2. A cooker having an.v electric heating element and a casing therefor, and a cooking utensil hold-= er which are connected for relative separation so that cooked food on the holder may he held in a position removed from the vertical confines above the heating element, and means to effect the relative separation of the element and the holder; said holder including a movable front and side wall closure for the casing.

3. A cooker having a horizontally disposed, rectangular heating element, and a. cooking utensil holder hingedly connected to arear corner of the element-for horizontal relative motion and operating to' carry cooked food laterally away accuses pivot for automatically moving the holder from the said element to a position across one end thereof, and a rectangular casing of which said holder includes a front and an end closure.

l. A cooker having a horizontally disposed heating element, and a cooking utensil holder connected to the element for horizontal swing ing movement to carry cooked food laterally from the element, control means for securing the holder in cooking position as to'the element, and means for automatically moving the holder from cooking position when released by the control means; the latter including a time device; holder fixed to a vertical pivot having a fixed El engaged by said control means.

5. A cooker having a heating element, a coo: ing utensil holder operatively connected by a v tical pivot member to the said element to horizontally swing cooked food laterally from the elecooking position when released by the control, manual means for releasing the holder from bile time control.

6. An electric cooker having a plurality of hori zontal, vertically spaced heating elements and a casing therefor, and food holding means con nected to the elements for horizontal rnovein" to and from a position between said elenr and including front and side wall foarts for casing.

"1. an electric cooker having a plurality of l' zontal, vertically spaced heating elements, 9 food holding means hinged to the elements L rizontal movement to and from a position tween said elements; said means including a rality of separately operative food holders SW ing on a common vertical 8X23.

An electric cooker having a plurality of t cally synced. heating elements forming vertl erent pairs, a plurality of horizon stringing, independent food holders one for pair connected. to the said elements and rately interposable between pair of the s ze-cell. elements.

An electric cooker having a nlurality oi ho i zontal, vertically space rectangular heating c c rrlents rming vertically difiercnt pairs, a plurality of horizontally movable swinging, dependent, food holders one for each pair W to conform in plan and size to the said elll'r and are operatively attached thereto.

13. An electric cooker having a base, a one wall fixed on the base, a top plate fixed on wall; a plurality of horizontal, vertically sie heating elements fixed in the case, and a W: 'l-= forming door device operatively connected to H case and provided with a food carrier; whereby food to be cooked is movable to a position he= 12. An electric cooker having a wall forming one side and the back of a casing, and a door including panels forming one side and the front of'the casing; the end panel of the door being hinged to the end of the back wall part.

13. An electric cooker having a. wall forming a r so,

back and one sidewall of a casing, and a door device connected to the casing and forming the other side and the front thereof, and including vertically coordinate sections each having a food carrying means and being separately operative.

14. An electric cooker having a series of vertically spaced heating elements, a flxed wall forming a back and one side of a case for the elements, vertically coordinate door sections forming the other side and the front of the case for the elements and each section provided with food carrying means interposable between a pair of immediately adjacent heating elements in the case.

15. In a cooker of the class described; a food carrier movable to and from cooking position, means to automatically move the carrier from cooking position, means to latch the carrier in cooking position, and a time control means of the push-wind, pull starter type for automatically releasing the latch means.

16. In a cooker of the class described; a food carrier movable to cooking position, means to automaticallymove the carrier from cooking position, means to latch the carrier in cooking position, time control means for automatically releasing the latch means, and manual means to trip the latch means independently of the time means.

the carrier tor'automatic movement from cook- 7 ing position.

18. In a cooker of the class described; a horizontally swinging tood carrier having parallel bracket flanges, a rectangular cooking utensil having side parts slidable into'posltion of rest on the said flanges, andvertically spaced rectangular heating elements between which the mounted utensil may be moved by the carrier and of about coextensive area with the utensil.

19. A cooker of the class described having a hollow base including a full top closing the chamber of the base, a heating unit system fixed on the base top and wholly separated thereby from the chamber, a cooking casing mounted on the said top and forming a compartment wholly separate from the base chamber, closure door means .for the casing, means in' the base for opening the door means and means automatically controlling the opening means and concealed, within the base.

JOHN P. FREEMON. 

